JP2009034079A - Freshness-keeping/recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits, and freshness-keeping/recovering method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a freshness-keeping/recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits, capable of recovering the freshness of the vegetables and fruits having problems in the freshness and keeping the freshness, and to provide a freshness-keeping/recovering method for the vegetables and fruits. <P>SOLUTION: The freshness-keeping/recovering agent composition for the vegetables and the fruits, contains fired coral sand and fired dolomite. The freshness-keeping/recovering method of the vegetables and the fruits using the freshness-keeping/recovering agent composition for the vegetables and the fruits includes charging the freshness-keeping/recovering agent composition for the vegetables and the fruits into water at 5-30°C to prepare a freshness-recovering treating liquid for the vegetables and the fruits at pH ≥12.0, and bringing the vegetables and the fruits into contact with the treating liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery agent composition for vegetables and fruits and a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery method for vegetables and fruits using the same.

  In every aspect of national life, attention has been focused on the freshness and safety of various fresh foods as the general public's health and safety consciousness has increased, and consumers are particularly concerned with the freshness and safety of vegetables and fruits. It has become more sensitive. For this reason, general retailers, mass retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, and prepared-mealers have a pesticide residue and germs on the surface of vegetables and fruits to ensure the safety and freshness of vegetables and fruits. Before they are displayed at the store, they are washed with tap water or sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution in advance, or in the showcase to suppress the proliferation of miscellaneous fungi and the drying of vegetables and fruits. They display them while they are refrigerated, and also store them in a large cool box after business hours until the next business start time.

  However, by simply washing vegetables and fruits with tap water, even if refrigerated showcases or cold storage are used, they are, for example, lettuce, spinach, melon, grapes, blackberries, etc. There was a problem that the freshness deteriorated earlier than expected due to breeding of the rice. In addition, when sodium hypochlorite aqueous solution is used, sodium hypochlorite itself is toxic, so there are concerns not only about adverse effects on the human body during the cleaning process, but also sufficient sterilization and antibacterial effects. Furthermore, there is a concern that a hypochlorous acid odor that impairs the deliciousness of the washed vegetables and fruits may remain.

  As one of the methods for solving such a problem, it was obtained by mixing a sterilizing agent for food containing calcined calcium, polyhydric alcohol, polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester and ethyl alcohol derived from shells and shellfish with water. It has been proposed to immerse vegetables in an alkaline processing liquid (Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-272434 A

  By the way, in general retail stores and mass merchandisers that handle fresh foods, when applying the technique of Patent Document 1 to vegetables and fruits to maintain their freshness, in order to extend the freshness retention period as much as possible, It is premised on using good vegetables and fruits. On the other hand, regardless of whether or not such freshness preservation processing is performed, vegetables and fruits whose freshness has fallen are in a stage before being delivered for commercial use such as general retailers, mass retailers, restaurants, and meals. It is currently being disposed of. Therefore, for vegetables and fruits having good freshness, it is required to maintain the freshness for a long time and to restore freshness again for vegetables and fruits having problems in freshness. .

  The present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and can maintain the freshness of vegetables and fruits, and again, the freshness of vegetables and fruits in which freshness problems have occurred. It is an object of the present invention to provide a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery agent composition and a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery method for vegetables and fruits that can be recovered and maintained.

  The inventor of the present invention uses vegetables and fruits that are desired to maintain good freshness, or freshness in an alkaline processing liquid obtained by mixing a composition containing a powdered fired coral sand and fired dolomite with water. It has been found that the freshness of vegetables and fruits with good freshness can be maintained by bringing them into contact with the fallen vegetables and fruits, and the freshness of vegetables and fruits with reduced freshness can be recovered and maintained. Completed the invention.

  That is, this invention provides the freshness maintenance and freshness recovery agent composition for vegetables and fruits containing a baked coral sand and a baked dolomite.

  Further, the present invention provides freshness for vegetables and fruits having a pH of 12.0 or more by adding the above-described freshness-keeping / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits to water at 5 to 30 ° C. and mixing. There is provided a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery method for vegetables and fruits characterized by adjusting a maintenance / freshness recovery treatment liquid and bringing the vegetables or fruits into contact with the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery treatment liquid.

  Since the freshness maintenance / recovery agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention contains calcined coral sand and calcined dolomite, the freshness maintenance / recovery of freshness of vegetables and fruits obtained using the same Good freshness can be maintained by bringing fresh vegetables and fruits into contact with the treatment solution (for example, immersion and spraying), and also the vegetables and fruits that have problems in freshness are brought into contact ( By soaking and spraying, the deteriorated freshness of vegetables and fruits can be recovered and maintained again.

  The freshness-keeping / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention contains calcined coral sand and calcined dolomite. The reason why it is possible to maintain and restore the freshness of vegetables and fruits with the aqueous solution of this composition is that the aqueous solution of this composition is strongly alkaline, so that it can disinfect bacteria and bacteria on the surface of vegetables and fruits. It is effective and can dissolve and remove surface lye components (oxalic acid, alkaloids, tannins, etc.), and the oxidation-reduction potential of the aqueous solution of this composition is lowered, so that oxidation of vegetables and fruits is suppressed. Because it is considered. In addition, it is thought that this is because calcium and magnesium are supplied to the cells of vegetables and fruits.

The calcined coral sand used in the present invention is a calcined product of weathered reef shark collected in the sea area around the main island of Okinawa and contains 50 to 92% by mass of calcium oxide. The elements contained in the weathered reef slag before firing are, for example, those shown in Table 1 below (atomic absorption analysis, flame photometry, gravimetry, ICP quantitative analysis, absorptiometry, ion chromatography, It can be measured by the standard method).

  The coral sand is usually fired under the condition of 1300 ° C. or less and 12 hours or less in the air. In addition, when a calcination temperature is too low, there exists a concern that the maintenance characteristic of pH value may be impaired, and when temperature is too high, a manufacturing cost will only go up and it will not be reflected in a characteristic.

  The form of the calcined coral sand is preferably powdery, and if the particle size is too large, the dissolution rate in water decreases, so the average particle size is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less.

  The blending amount of the baked coral sand in the freshness maintaining / freshness restoring agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention is preferably 5 to 95% by mass from the viewpoint of maintaining the aqueous solution at a pH value of 12.0 or more. More preferably, it is 10-50 mass%.

The calcined dolomite used in the present invention is an intermediate composition (Ca · Mg (Co ₃ ) ₂ ) mined in Okinawa Prefecture, the main components of which are limestone (calcium carbonate) and rhododendron stone (magnesium carbonate). It is a burned product of minerals (called dolomite and dolomite) and contains 48 to 65% by mass of calcium oxide and 25 to 34% by mass of magnesium oxide. The elements contained in the dolomite before firing are, for example, those shown in Table 2 below (atomic absorption analysis, flame photometric method, gravimetric method, ICP quantitative analysis method, spectrophotometric method, ion chromatographic method, titration method, ECD (Measureable with attached gas chromatograph).

  In addition, the calcination temperature of dolomite is normally performed under conditions of 1300 ° C. or less and 12 hours or less in the air. In addition, when a calcination temperature is too low, there exists a concern that the maintenance characteristic of pH value may be impaired, and when temperature is too high, a manufacturing cost will only go up and it will not be reflected in a characteristic.

  The form of the calcined dolomite is preferably in the form of powder, and if the particle size is too large, the dissolution rate in water decreases, so the average particle size is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less.

  The blending amount of the baked dolomite in the freshness maintaining and freshness restoring agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention is preferably 5 to 95% by mass from the viewpoint of maintaining the aqueous solution at a pH value of 12.0 or more, More preferably, it is 50-90 mass%.

  The freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention is obtained by mixing the above-mentioned calcined coral sand and calcined dolomite at a predetermined ratio, preferably in a powdery state, or coarse particles Can be prepared by pulverizing and mixing with a known pulverizer or the like.

  In addition, as vegetables and fruits that are subject to freshness maintenance or freshness recovery with the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, sunny lettuce, celery, komatsuna, Leaf vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, spring chrysanthemum, flower vegetables (autumn poem, etc.); root vegetables such as salmon, radish, carrot, burdock; sweet potatoes such as sweet potato, potato, garlic; And fruit vegetables such as strawberries; beans such as green soybeans and broad beans. In addition, fruits include berries (pears, apples, etc.) included in deciduous fruit trees, nuclear fruits (apricots, cherries, peaches, etc.), others (oysters, grapes, raspberries, etc.); evergreen fruit trees (exclusion) Loquat etc. included in citrus); papaya, mango etc. included in tropical fruit trees. Among these, leaf vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce, etc.) and fruit vegetables (melon, cucumber, okra, etc.) can be expected to have particularly remarkable effects.

  These vegetables and fruits that are the subject of the present invention may be in the state of whole vegetables or whole fruits, or in the state of cut vegetables or cut fruits.

  Next, the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery method of vegetables and fruits using the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention will be described.

  First, the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention is introduced into water and mixed to prepare a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery treatment solution for vegetables and fruits.

  As the water, tap water, drinking groundwater, ion-exchanged water and the like can be used. Moreover, the temperature of the water to be used is 5 to 30 ° C, preferably 5 to 10 ° C. This is because if the water temperature is too low, the cooling cost becomes excessive, and if it is too high, the freshness of vegetables and fruits may be accelerated.

  The amount of freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering composition for vegetables and fruits to water is such that the pH of the freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering solution for vegetables and fruits to be obtained is 12.0 or more. . Specifically, the freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits with respect to 100 parts by weight of water is preferably 0.05 to 0.30 parts by weight, more preferably 0.15 to 0.25 parts by weight. In the department. This is because if the amount is too small, it is difficult to make the pH 12.0 or higher, and even if it is introduced excessively, it does not contribute to an increase in pH.

  As described above, the pH of the freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering treatment solution for vegetables and fruits to be obtained needs to be 12.0 or more, and preferably pH 12.4 or more. This is because the sterilization power and antibacterial power cannot be expected unless the pH is 12.0 or higher. In addition, since the upper limit of pH becomes the pH of the saturated aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide, it can be estimated that about pH 13.0 is the upper limit.

  In addition, the pH of the freshness recovery solution for vegetables and fruits is about 12.0 or more, preferably 12.4 or more after about 3 minutes after mixing in water, and the pH is maintained for at least about 72 hours. To do.

  Next, vegetables and fruits (which may be whole or cut) may be brought into contact with the obtained freshness-keeping / freshness-recovery solution for vegetables and fruits. Thereby, the surface of vegetables and fruits can be sterilized and antibacterial treatments can be performed, and when the vegetables and fruits to be contacted originally have good freshness, the freshness can be maintained for a long time. Moreover, when the freshness of vegetables and fruits to be brought into contact is lowered, it is possible to achieve the freshness recovery maintenance of the vegetables and fruits. Here, as an aspect of contact, the aspect of immersion and spraying is mentioned, for example. The soaking time varies depending on the elapsed time after harvesting of vegetables and fruits, the climate temperature, the degree of soiling, the kind of vegetables, the dehydration status of vegetables, etc., but is usually 15 minutes or less. In the case of spraying, it is necessary that the entire surface of vegetables and the like be wetted with a freshness maintenance / recovery solution for vegetables and fruits, and sprayed on the cut surface and the entire surface at the time of harvest. .

  Moreover, after making vegetables and fruits contact the freshness maintenance and freshness recovery processing liquid for vegetables and fruits, you may wash them with clean water as needed.

  In addition, by bringing vegetables and fruits into contact with the freshness maintenance / refreshment treatment solution for vegetables and fruits, it is possible to supply them with minerals such as calcium and magnesium. The mineral nutritional value of vegetables and fruits can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples.

Example 1
The calcined coral sand powder (Coral Biotech) having an average particle size of 9.1 μm in FIG. 1 and the calcined dolomite (Coral Biotech) having an average particle size of 9.5 μm in FIG. 2 are mixed at a mass ratio of 10:90. By doing so, the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery agent composition for vegetables and fruits was prepared.

  The obtained freshness-keeping / freshness-recovering composition for vegetables and fruits was added to 100 liters of tap water at 20 ° C. so as to be 0.20% by mass, stirred with a bladed stirrer, vegetables and fruits A freshness recovery solution was obtained. The pH after 5 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours of the obtained treatment solution was measured using a pH meter (HM-30G, Toa DKK Corporation). The obtained results are shown in Table 3.

  From the results in Table 3, the freshness recovery solution for vegetables and fruits prepared from the freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits of Example 1 has a pH exceeding 12.4 immediately after preparation, and It can be seen that the pH is maintained even after 72 hours, and that the bactericidal effect lasts for a long time.

<Bacterial change test>
For each of the freshness-recovery solution for vegetables and fruits and the sterilized purified water (test solution) of Example 1, Escherichia coli ATCC 43895 (serotype O157: H7, verotoxin type I and type II) as a test bacterium First, the test bacteria were cultured in NA medium (ordinary agar medium (Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.)) at 35 ° C. for 16 to 20 hours and sterilized physiological saline. What was suspended in water and prepared so that the number of bacteria was about 10 ⁸ / ml was used as the bacterial solution. 1 ml of this bacterial solution was mixed with a treatment solution previously kept at 20 ° C., and after storage at 20 ° C. for 20, 30 or 40 minutes, 1 ml of the mixture was diluted 10-fold with SCDLP medium (Nippon Pharmaceutical). About the obtained diluted solution, the viable cell count was measured by the pour plate culture method (35 degreeC, 2 days culture | cultivation) using SA culture medium (standard agar medium, Eiken Chemical). Table 4 shows the obtained results.

  From Table 4, it can be seen that the freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention has a good sterilization and bactericidal effect.

<Freshness recovery test of spinach>
The spinach immediately after harvesting was left in a dark constant temperature bath at a temperature of 20 ° C. for 72 hours to reduce its freshness (a state in which the leaves were deflated). The spinach with reduced freshness was immersed in 50 liters of a 10 ° C. freshness and freshness-retaining treatment solution for vegetables and fruits for 10 minutes, then pulled up from the treatment solution and visually contrasted with spinach immediately after harvesting. In addition, it was placed in a cold storage (temperature 5 ° C.) to evaluate the freshness retention period. The comparison was made according to the following evaluation criteria. Further, as a control example, a freshness recovery test for spinach was conducted in the same manner except that tap water was used instead of the freshness maintenance / recovery processing solution for vegetables and fruits. The results obtained are shown in Table 5.

○: Recovered to almost the same freshness as freshly harvested spinach immediately after harvesting, and maintained its state for 6 days. △: Recovered to approximately the same freshness as freshly harvested spinach immediately after harvesting, but maintained only for 2 days. If not: ×: If the freshness of fresh spinach just after harvesting does not recover to the same level of freshness

  From the results of Table 5, it can be seen that the spinach treated with the freshness recovery solution for vegetables and fruits prepared in Example 1 was excellent in the effect of maintaining freshness recovery. On the other hand, in the case of a control example, it turns out that the freshness recovery maintenance effect was inferior.

Example 2
Lettuce immediately after harvesting was left in a dark constant temperature bath at a temperature of 20 ° C. for 72 hours to reduce its freshness (a state in which the leaves were deflated). The lettuce with reduced freshness was immersed in 50 liters of freshness-recovery processing solution for vegetables and fruits prepared in Example 1 at 10 ° C. for 10 minutes, then pulled up from the processing solution and visually compared with lettuce immediately after harvesting. . In addition, it was placed in a cold storage (temperature 5 ° C.) to evaluate the freshness retention period. As a result, it recovered to the same freshness as fresh lettuce immediately after harvesting, and the state could be maintained for 6 days.

  In addition, the calcium and magnesium contents of the lettuce before the freshness recovery treatment for vegetables and fruits and the lettuce after the treatment were measured using an ICP emission analyzer (Japan Food Analysis Center). The results are shown in Table 6.

  As can be seen from Table 6, it was found that calcium and magnesium were almost doubled by the freshness maintenance and freshness recovery treatment for vegetables and fruits.

Example 3
Immediately after harvesting, the masked melon was allowed to stand in a dark constant temperature bath at a temperature of 20 ° C. for 72 hours to reduce its freshness (contracted when pressure was applied). The mask melon with reduced freshness was immersed in 50 liters of a 10 ° C. freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering treatment solution for vegetables and fruits for 10 minutes, then pulled up from the treatment solution and visually compared with the freshly harvested cantaloupe. In addition, it was placed in a cold storage (temperature 5 ° C.) to evaluate the freshness retention period. As a result, the freshness and tension were restored to the same level as that of fresh melons immediately after harvesting, and the state could be maintained for 10 days.

Example 4
What was cut from fresh lettuce was immersed in a freshness recovery solution for vegetables and fruits prepared in Example 1 cooled to 10 ° C. for 10 minutes, placed in a cool box (temperature 5 ° C.), and kept fresh. The period was evaluated. Each time a certain time elapses, the sample was visually compared with cut lettuce immediately after separately prepared using fresh materials. As a result, the freshness of the cut lettuce of this example could be maintained for 5 days, compared to the case where the sample immersed in tap water for 10 minutes maintained the freshness only for half a day to one day.

  Moreover, the food microbe test | inspection was performed about the cut lettuce immediately after being immersed in the freshness recovery process liquid for vegetables and fruits prepared in Example 1 cooled at 10 degreeC. As a result, the number of general viable bacteria was 300 CFU / g (conforms to the Food Sanitation Law), the coliform group was negative (conforms to the food hygiene inspection guidelines), and E. coli was also negative (conforms to the Food Sanitation Law and microbial inspection must) . Therefore, it was confirmed that the freshness recovery treatment solution for vegetables and fruits of the present invention has a very excellent sterilization and antibacterial action.

  The freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits of the present invention contains calcined coral sand and calcined dolomite. For this reason, the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery treatment solution for vegetables and fruits obtained by using the composition of the present invention exhibits good sterilization and antibacterial effects on the surfaces of vegetables and fruits. Therefore, the freshness of vegetables and fruits deteriorated by bringing them into contact (immersion, spraying, etc.) with freshness-prone freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering liquids. Can be recovered and held again. Moreover, if it is made to contact vegetables and fruits with good freshness, freshness can be maintained longer. Therefore, the present invention is useful for maintaining the freshness of vegetables and fruits, and restoring and maintaining the freshness of vegetables and fruits.

It is a particle size distribution measurement result figure of the calcination coral sand used in the example. It is a particle size distribution measurement result figure of the baked dolomite used in the example.

Claims (8)

  A freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits containing calcined coral sand and calcined dolomite.   The freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits according to claim 1, comprising 5 to 95% by mass of calcined coral sand and 5 to 95% by mass of calcined dolomite.   The freshness maintaining / freshness restoring composition for vegetables and fruits according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fired coral sand is a fired product of Okinawan coral sand.   The freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the calcined dolomite is a calcined product of Okinawa dolomite.   The average particle size of the calcined coral sand and the calcined dolomite is 20 µm or less, respectively. The freshness maintenance / freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The vegetables and fruits are selected from leaf vegetables, root vegetables, potatoes, fruit vegetables, beans, deciduous fruit fruits, evergreen fruit fruits (decitrus fruits), and tropical fruit fruits. The freshness maintenance / freshness recovery composition for vegetables and fruits according to any one of the above.   Vegetables and fruits having a pH of 12.0 or more by adding the freshness-maintaining / freshness-recovering agent composition for vegetables and fruits according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to water at 5 to 30 ° C. A freshness maintenance / freshness recovery method for vegetables and fruits, comprising adjusting a freshness maintenance / refreshment treatment liquid for vegetables and bringing the vegetables or fruits into contact with the freshness maintenance / freshness recovery liquid.   A method for maintaining the freshness of vegetables and fruits, which performs sterilization and antibacterial treatment of the surfaces of vegetables and fruits by bringing vegetables or fruits into contact with a freshness maintenance / freshness recovery treatment solution.